Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Debra Lafave
Debra Lafave, the Florida teacher who pleaded guilty to lewd behavior with a teenage boy, has been arrested for allegedly violating her probation on charges she spoke to an underage female co-worker.
Lafave, 27, allegedly had contact with the minor - a 16-year-old co-worker - at Danny Boys' restaurant in Ruskin, Fla., in violation of her probation, FOX News has learned.
Lafave pleaded guilty in 2005 to lewd and lascivious behavior as part of a plea deal after Florida authorities charged her with having sex with a 14-year-old student.
According to a police report, Lafave spoke with her teenage co-worker numerous times about family problems, friends, high school, boyfriends and sex.
As part of her probation, Lafave is to abstain from contact with minors under 18 years of age.
Teacher Debra Lafave Arrested
TAMPA, Fla. -- Debra Lafave -- the teacher who made national headlines for her affair with a 14-year-old student -- has been arrested for allegedly violating the terms of her probation.
Lafave's lawyer, John Fitzgibbons, plans a news conference later this afternoon to talk about the arrest.
A former Hillsborough County middle school teacher, Lafave pleaded guilty in 2005 to having sex with the student in a classroom and at her home in June 2004.
Under the terms of her plea deal, she was sentenced to three years house arrest and seven on probation.
If she made it through two years without a violation, she could come back to the judge and ask to have the final year of house arrest commuted to probation.
According to the arrest report, Lafave broke the terms of her deal by having contact with a minor.
The 17-year-old girl was a co-worker of Lafave's at Danny Boy's Restaurant in Ruskin.
Investigators say Lafave and the girl talked about non-work related issues such as family problems, friends, high school, personal life, boyfriend issues, and sexual issues in private one-on-one conversations.
Lafave was supposed to get court permission before having any contact with minors.
In an interview last year with NBC's Matt Lauer, Lafave blamed her behavior with the 14-year-old student on mental illness.
"I think he just became very flirtatious and you gotta remember, in that period of my life, I didn't feel like an adult," she said.
Lafave says her mental troubles began with the trauma of being raped at age 13, and that later developed into bipolar disorder, a depressive illness featuring sadness, anxiety and recurring thoughts of suicide.
Lafave's lawyer, John Fitzgibbons, plans a news conference later this afternoon to talk about the arrest.
A former Hillsborough County middle school teacher, Lafave pleaded guilty in 2005 to having sex with the student in a classroom and at her home in June 2004.
Under the terms of her plea deal, she was sentenced to three years house arrest and seven on probation.
If she made it through two years without a violation, she could come back to the judge and ask to have the final year of house arrest commuted to probation.
According to the arrest report, Lafave broke the terms of her deal by having contact with a minor.
The 17-year-old girl was a co-worker of Lafave's at Danny Boy's Restaurant in Ruskin.
Investigators say Lafave and the girl talked about non-work related issues such as family problems, friends, high school, personal life, boyfriend issues, and sexual issues in private one-on-one conversations.
Lafave was supposed to get court permission before having any contact with minors.
In an interview last year with NBC's Matt Lauer, Lafave blamed her behavior with the 14-year-old student on mental illness.
"I think he just became very flirtatious and you gotta remember, in that period of my life, I didn't feel like an adult," she said.
Lafave says her mental troubles began with the trauma of being raped at age 13, and that later developed into bipolar disorder, a depressive illness featuring sadness, anxiety and recurring thoughts of suicide.
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